William a



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 'l

' -wILLIAM A. STEWART, yor GRISEIELD, MARYLAND, ASSIeNoR or ONE-,HALE

g 'ro JAMES E. LosEMAN, or SAME PLAGE.

OYSTER-DREDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.l382,624, dated May 8, 1888;

Application filed J' une 8, 1887. Serial No. 940.628. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM A. STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cristield, iu the county of Somerset and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dredges; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as ywill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and ligures of reference marked it-Jhereon, which form a part of this 'specificaion. 15 This invention relates to dredges for crabs,

oysters, and bivalves generally.

The object of the invention is to improve this class of devices whereby a larger area of opening is had compared with the length vof been obtained, and a protection is afforded the bars to which theseine is laced,which is thereby prevented from chafing and rubbing.

The improvement consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, vwhich will be more fully hereinafter set forth and claimed, and shown in the annexed drawings,'

in which Figure l is a perspective view of mydredge 3o embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 a front view of the same.

The frame of the dredge is composed of the upper bars, A A, and the low'er bars or runners, B B, which' are united at their upper ends and diverge substantially'as shown. The lower portions, ci a and b b, of the bars A and B, respectively, are bent inward and extend parallel with each other. The lower ends of the bars A A curve forward and downward to form the standards a, -which are connected with the lower ends of the bars B B by bolts or rivets d, and the lower ends of the barsB B are connected together by the scrape or drag bar C, which has its ends fastened thereto by the bolts or rivets d. I

The barsfare connected and braced by two parallel cross-rods, "E E, extended betweenv them and secured to each bar at or near the point of ilexion, or as near the top of the por- 5o tions a a as practicable, and these cross-rods scrape or dredge bar than has heretoforenected with thebars A A, close to the upper 6o cross-rod, E. 4 A By having the frame-barsy A A and B B bent near the lower ends, so as to have their lower Yportions extend parallel, a larger opening is had for the seine than was heretofore feasible 6 5 compared'with the length of scrape or drag bar. In practice'the seine (not shown) is attached to the wires D and F and the cross'rod E in any ofthe well-known ways. v Having thus described my invention, what I 7o claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. The herein Shown and described dredge, composed of the four corner bars, A A and B B, united at their upper ends and diverging .75

from top to bottom,and having their lower ends bent to form. parallel portions a a and b b, and the lower ends of the bars A A curved forward and secured to the ends of the bars B B, the scrape-bar C, extended between the lower ends 8c of the bars BB, the cross-rodsEE, uniting the bars A A near their bends and braced byshort staye, the wire D, located on the rear of and parallel with the scrape-bar, and the wires F having a portion parallel with the bars B andy 8 5 a portion extended across the space between the bars B and A and secured to the bars A, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified. y

- 2. In a crabcatcher and oyster-dredge, side 9o pieces composed of an upper bar, a runner of substantiall y the same length as the upper bar, and standards a, connecting the upper barand runner, combined withv cross-rods connecting i the two side pieces and adapted to receive the l95 net, and the wires F, arranged between the up-v per bar and the runner and placed close to the said runner, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A crab-catcher and` oyster-dredge corn-y roc pieces composed of the upper bars, A, the runners B, and the upriglils a, connecting said upper bars and runners, the runners being ex- 15 tended forward from the uprights and connected to the upper bars, substantially as shown, to form supports for the side pieces essentially coextensive with their length.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. STEVART.

Witnesses:

VAN BUREN HILLYARD, R. C. LAURIE. 

